Fate's Shadow
by ToxicTreacle
Summary: "Since you won't allow me to bring massacres to this world, the unfortunate one that I come across will suffer... dearly." Mephiles' exact plot is unknown, but Shadow, along with a blue Faker and his lovestruck-stalker fan-girl, aims to put an end to it. Old pals will reform, relationships will be built, and the realm of Pokemon will be in grave peril... [PokeShipping and SonAmy.]
1. A Not So Sweet Farewell

**Fate's Shadow**

**Chapter 1 – A Not So Sweet Farewell**

* * *

"A pity. Here I thought you would at least provide me with some… entertainment."

The black wind rushed by the icicle-like pedestal, never veering away its movement from the figure atop the demonic version of a long-since-dead Christmas tree. Bright lights slashed in random directions, never actually hitting anything but the ceiling itself. As those few, deathly seconds passed, rubble rained from the sky, eventually evolving into large pieces of dangerous debris. It dripped and dripped, losing its sturdy structure to the roof as it began trying to cave in on the twosome.

The lava bubbled like a sizzling version of orangeade, sometimes prompting small domes of ember to pop and spread the liquid further. The falling rocks swiftly sifted through the air, and into that of the red-hot lake. Its likely burning nature steered the creature, dashing to and thro, away, yet not intimidating the half-god still present in the room.

The ebony aura that had been speeding about the room dodged the descending pieces of stone and coal, soon regretting its action as the opponent had more advantage over the matter than itself.

A light, purple sphere of energy suddenly illuminated the room, allowing the distant light to travel to the speedster's curious, yet anxious, eyes. Those seeing inceptors felt repugnance for the orb as soon as it increased in size, and swallowed every rock available in the area whole. Thoughts knew that couldn't be good as a small, suspicious hole formed in the sphere's center, bearing a huge, unholy, reptilian eye.

Realisation shot through its tone as fast as a bullet. "Blast it!"

"Oh… yes. Blast it, indeed…"

Despite its persistent speed, shock overcame those once calm features, and the black blur resumed its run in a more frantic manner, adrenalin alight and running through those strong muscles.

The quicker being shifted zig-zag-wise, as the massive, threatening ball protruded a sharp, malevolent rock, which resembled a needle in such a way. Moments passed, and the said weapon had multiplied, deliberately sharpening its edge with an invisible sharpener as it did so. Knife-like rocks began surging from the insanely huge ball and through the remaining oxygen in the room, crashing into the trail of the once present black wind.

That breezy airstream was gone in a second.

The foe stood, tense, on the thin platform, tilting his head, bright lime eyes glittering malevolently as they spotted a tip of a red streak disappear behind the archway's many rocks.

"Avoiding fate, now, are we, Shadow?" the darker entity asked, raising a hand to make his light, brief point.

Yet, that wasn't the only reason he lifted it. The awkward, creepy sound of tapping echoed throughout the grim area, as a finger's glove began to vanish, being overlapped by a gloomy, rough finger, which held a sharper touch. Several more fingers followed, soon forming a more spine-chilling, claw-like hand.

It flexed at the doorway's direction, and, if its owner had a mouth, he would have given a delighted, sadistic smirk. "Oh, I do love a good game of Hide and Seek…"

On the other side of the rocky wall, a hedgehog stood, his arms pinned to the wall as a breathless gasp escaped his muzzle. Crimson eyes were daring to peek a glance around the corner, but the disturbed mind wouldn't let them. Red streaks flicked side to side, as the creature shook his head, and then swallowed.

A brow lowered as sweat gave way from the side of his head. 'This is what I get for lending Faker that emerald!'

The battle had been ragged, and, could've gone on for what one could call hours… though, neither one had decided to count. Energy was lacking with the Ultimate Lifeform… but with the smarter side of Solaris, however…

"Why try to hide? I'll find you, either way…" came that smug, velvety voice, which rapidly evolved into sing-song, "…Come out, come out, wherever you are~!"

The charcoal being clenched his fists, grinding his teeth as he silently side-stepped along the wall.

His shadow counterpart heard the tapping of the technologic jet shoes, and gave a depressed sigh of mockery. "Leaving so soon? …My. Could it be the _great_ Shadow the Hedgehog is nothing but a coward? A hedgehog without a spine?"

Shadow squeezed his eyes shut, allowing red eyes to blindly scowl at his eyelids.

…

"…I'm not a coward."

Amusement tipped the other's tone. "What was that? I don't quite believe I heard…"

The black blur straightened and turned his head, opening his eyes to glare. "I'm not a—!"

Weight suddenly rushed against the hedgehog, causing him to wheeze and bend over with agony until he realized what was going on.

Mephiles was stood in front of him, his body possessing inwardly placed violet and white crystals. He was already in front of him, claw-like fist already withdrawn after a quick punch had been launched at Shadow's gut.

"You… little…"

"What, Shadow? Was that little tweaking of the score too much for you?" The crystallized organism leered, deliberately allowing the iris in his left eye to roll to the side of his red sclera. He whispered, sporting the worst malice tone one could ever imagine, "I apologize… Allow me to return it to its rightful mark."

Immediately, those hostile claws gripped the hedgehog's neck, pushing forward until Shadow slapped against another wall and shut his eyes tight.

Winding slightly as the grip increased, the Ultimate Lifeform gave a cough before straining one weak eye open, seeing the shadow demon give a light-hearted crease along his muzzle. Although, it seemed light-hearted, Shadow knew the sadistic smirk was as obvious as the light of day, whether or not Mephiles had a mouth.

"You shouldn't have come here… A pity; I could have taken you by surprise…" the abomination uttered. "You know, Shadow…" his sentence was suddenly unfinished and trailing.

"W-w-what…?"

The other neared his face, not leaving a single distance between them, and almost pressing against the black blur's nose. "I would have thought the great, Ultimate Lifeform would've given me a fruitful challenge… Alas, it seems my prediction was lacking something… And that's whether or not I should finish this forever…"

Shadow growled, winding due to the lack of precious oxygen, but less than frightened. "What's… w-what's stopping… y-you? Are… are you…?"

The creature raised his crystallized brow, eye ridges not far from a mock of surprise. "What? Am I too much of a coward to kill you? Oh… I don't know. It just seems… like such a waste…"

Project: SHADOW gave a perplexed look, perking an ear.

"…Since I could just as easily torture you for an eternity."

Shock overtook the victim's features, as he paled, regarding Mephiles with a hint of fear. Yet, he held it back, kept his pride with a bemused frown.

Almost distinctly, Mephiles' ear twitched, as if he'd heard something that he'd rather not be bothered by. Much to his surprise, the victim in front of him gave a pained smirk.

"Pity… you'll h-have to… wait one."

Another blur crashed into the confused abomination, forcing the grip around Shadow's windpipe to give way.

"GAH!"

A red shoe leaned forward, over the murderer, sporting a familiar white stripe. "Hey there, pal. Thought you could start the party without me?"

The downed enemy looked up, to see a blue hedgehog holding jade eyes, white gloves, sharp, spiny quills, and a green, luminous emerald in his hands. "You…!"

The speedy creature looked to his buddy, foot still on the other's stomach, and sporting a cocky smile. "You okay, Shads?"

Shadow grumbled to himself, something about how he could've got out of that himself.

The fastest thing alive gave a little snigger at that, chucking the emerald about in one hand as he did so. "Yeah, you're fine."

"…Unfortunately, you are not."

"WHOA!"

A gloomy shade of purple abruptly slipped from under the hedgehog's foot, revealing itself to be murky form of the demon of darkness. It entwined around the blue blur's foot, lifting it in the air and causing owner to dangle helplessly upside down.

"Uh… He-hey! Lemme' g-go!"

Shadow stepped back, only just recovered from his breathing fit before his gaze shot to the legendary Chaos Emerald in his rival's grasp.

The liquid suddenly wrapped around said being's wrist, tightly; the blue blur whimpered as it tightened, his grip only being loose on the gem.

"FAKER!"

Dizzy, olive orbs glanced at the black and red creature, which were suddenly hidden from view as eyelids shut tight, a suffering smile still remaining across the owner's muzzle.

Shadow repaired his posture, and took a step forward, skaters threatening to flare as those hurrying feet took action. As soon as one of them came within short distance of the liquid, it was swallowed in the ooze, and the being cursed silently before being thrown against a nearby, rocky wall, ache forcing its way through his limbs.

"S-Shadow…!" the mammal known as Sonic called out, wincing one eye open to see his pal sprawled against the wall as the black creature slid down it. He was barely able to roll his eyes upwards, (remembering he's not on the top-side,) to see the shadowy, sinister fluid latching over the Chaos Emerald, ripping it from his hand.

"Ha, ha, ha… **HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!**"

Maniacal laughter suddenly filled both hedgehogs' ears, allowing their bodies to respond to the situation with a look of pure shock.

Shadow's eyes snapped from half-way open to fully, and he gripped the wall behind for support as he tried to stand. As soon as that was done, the hedgehog limped forwards, fists weakly clenching. He stumbled for a moment, his legs giving way, but utter determination quickly held them upright.

"There… is no way… Mephiles… is getting away with this…!" he painfully muttered.

Sonic blinked at the persistent rival, and gave a warm-hearted smile before he gave a look of malice to liquid.

'Ya' hear that, buddy? Me and Shads ain't giving up!'

As if he heard the statement, Mephiles' flexible body swayed the hapless creature in his hold faster, to the point that the blue blur would've acquired nausea.

"SONNIKU!"

A feminine, rose mortal rushed through the corridor, launching a stray hammer at the liquefied Mephiles with no fear whatsoever.

Spite swung along with her hammer and her swishing, quill-like hair, "Let. Him. Go…. NOW!"

As soon as the weapon hit a second time, emerald eyes widened in shock as it began to sink in, the girl's hands along with it.

The demon laughed quietly, and those shimmering, reptilian eyes stared at her in the midst of the form; he then flung Sonic to another wall, which held more spiky rocks than one could ever imagine.

Before Sonic could crash, however, he grabbed a rock jutting out of the roof, and used it to propel himself round and safely onto the floor, leaving him in a crouch pose. He stood and saw the maiden ahead watch her arm disappear from existence.

Every waking moment, Shadow felt pain fill his muscles as he tensed up, watching the scene unfold with a sense of forbidden dread. 'Why did Faker need to bring along his fan-girl?! At a time like this?!'

The female tugged at her arms, trying to pull away before it was too late. Desperate, the she-male lifted her head, opened her mouth and began to scream indefinitely.

"AMY!"

The blur rushed forward, shooting past the liquid, separating Miss Rose from her hammer and grabbing her hand at a breakneck speed.

Mephiles growled, as if part of his body had just been severed to make the save.

"Foul play, is it? Not very nice, hedgehogs…"

"Speak for yourself," Sonic quipped, holding his self-proclaimed girlfriend close. "If you're gonna' start hurting the ladies, namely Amy…" the hedgehog murmured that part quietly, "…Mephiles, I suggest we skip to the part where I kick your butt!"

"Oh? Hurt that I messed with your little girlfriend, are you? My, if I didn't know better, I would say you care about her a lot…"

"Quit the yammering!" Sonic shouted, holding back a small blush that was threatening to break from his cheeks to the pink hedgehog, who stared at him with a content smile. "You gonna' fight fair, or do I have to make ya'?"

The liquid gave another maniacal chuckle, before dissolving into the ground and shooting out of it; the pair jumped back as it landed in front of them, witnessing the remaining fluid morph into a Shadow-like figure, which held the same, stolen gem.

Sonic shoved Amy behind him, eyes narrowed as he gave a gulp.

The fan-girl wrapped her arms around her hero's, and, concerned, gave a worried whisper whilst watching from over his shoulder, "S-Sonic…"

A nose was pushed against his face, and then the opponent's muzzle awkwardly moved, though held an undertone of malice, "You can't hurt me, mortal… No matter how hard you try."

The shadow slipped to the side, allowing a black and red homing attack to glide through the gap available.

Shadow almost crashed into Sonic, had he not steered to the side. He still panted, but it had halted a bit.

"Oh, you poor, defenseless fools…" Mephiles spoke with a sort of sick humor. "You still hold hope for this despicable world, despite what the humans have put you through… I would _gladly_ end your _misery_, but I'd rather know you'd be dying with anxiety and be elsewhere."

Shadow pulled himself up, glaring with newfound irritation. "And, where is elsewhere?"

"Oh, haven't quite decided yet, Shadow. Since you won't allow me to bring massacres to this world, the unfortunate one that I come across will suffer... dearly." He turned his attention to the blue blur and bowed, spitefully yet deliberately adding with a sense of mockery, "Thank you for the emerald, _Iblis Trigger_… It will aid me greatly."

Mephiles gave another laugh, and spread his arms wide, causing a large sphere of green light to shoot upwards. The orb's area expanded, and the manipulative monster was suddenly floating in mid-air, emerald in his right hand as he uttered a few, silent words under his breath. Suddenly, two emeralds, (one red and one blue, respectively,) appeared in his left and created even more chaos among the trio's minds' imaginations.

"He won't get anywhere, will he?" Amy asked innocently, watching the event with a misshapen look of horror on her face.

Shadow gritted his fangs. "Mephiles could get anywhere… He's obviously discovered a way to jump planets, or something along that line… He could simply teleport and time travel with no emeralds at all… With two emeralds, he could easily demonstrate his power… but even though three isn't the same as seven emeralds, they still give him more power than actually required…"

"Darn demons gettin' all the super-cool-awesome powers…"

Amy and Shadow looked at Sonic, as if to say to the _fastest_ thing alive, 'really?'

"Just sayin'."

The mental half of Solaris watched them bicker with faint amusement, seeming as if he'd miss the insignificant quarrels they'd have.

He rose higher into the air, his body flitting and blending into the horizontally distorted sphere.

"Farewell, fools. May you be murdered brutally five minutes after my deliberate banishment."

"What about me?" Shadow asked, quirking a smirk as the two mammals beside him gave an annoyed look.

The demon creased a sadistic grin. "The next time I see you, Shadow… If I do, that is… I promise to make that torturing for an eternity, a reality…"

"Humph! Will you, now?"

"Yes…" His body faded to a more transparent palette.

"Amy, you stay here…" Sonic murmured, housing a cocky smile.

"W-what…?" The little woman gave a small, confused tilt of her head, and watched as the two adversaries exchanged glances.

"You ready?"

Shadow sneered in reply. "Is that a trick question, Sonic? I'm more ready than you'll ever be."

A shrug, and they both nodded.

"**Now!"**

The black and blue winds sped forward without hesitation, determination and adrenalin flowing through their veins as they did so.

Green eyes flickered in the portal, still scarcely see-able. They widened in shock, the holder growling, "NO!"

The two vanished from sight, and the sphere flickered a few moments more.

The female, still shock-stricken from the parting of her, 'boyfriend,' furrowed her brow, shook her head, and made another hammer materialize in her outstretched hand.

She gave a fierce smirk, planning to ignore Sonic's order anyway. "You're CRAZY if you think you can leave **ME** behind, _SONIC THE HEDGEHOG_!"

Within moments, Amy Rose charged forward, a glint of her stalker nature following as she jumped in just before the portal clamped shut and vanished.

All was silent.

* * *

**Whew… This took a while.**

**Anyways… I decided to do a cross over, since, well, I haven't found any stories with Mephiles as the villain, or so… (Well, through character filter anyway…) so I decided to write one.**

**Chapters will be done quicker, I hope… Depends if I have my writing mojo! Though, imagination mojo is plenty…**

**Hope you liked it. The next chapter should base around everyone's favorite heroes… (A certain hot-tempered girl with orange hair, hint, hint, ;) ) And I hope I can get through this story!**

**Any reviews would be greatly appreciated… or I'll have Mephiles execute you viciously for not reviewing… Nah! I'm joking. Heh, heh… 'X) ANYWAYS!**

**See y'all next chappie!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog. All rights go to SEGA. **


	2. The Shooting Star

**Chapter 2 – The Shooting Star**

* * *

The sun lightly set along the horizon as dusk began to make its way towards the trivial world with a flicker of stars.

A girl leaned against the bars at the end of Route 25, watching the lapping waves as they swished about wildly. She gave a sigh, before allowing her head to droop onto her folded arms as she watched white and pink flippers slip in and out of the water like well trained dolphins. The wind that swayed the waves did likewise to her orange hair, and she blinked at the not-so-distant ocean.

"I could go fishing…" she murmured to herself, her viridian eyes lacking the spark of excitement she normally had. "It'd normally cheer me up, and the weather's looking great. But… I just don't seem to be in the mood."

A goldfish bearing a cherry and ashen palette shot out of the water, its horn glinting in the sunlight before it dived below the surface once more. This sight continued until it swished and flipped by the beach below, where a reminiscent memory got caught in the girl's gaze; she smiled.

According to a boastful story, Ash caught his Krabby here.

Placing her hands into her carroty-coloured jacket's pocket, the gym leader looked at the ground, closing her eyes as she did so. Her smile was short-lived, as it turned into an anxious frown.

"I wonder how Ash's doing…" She looked up, feeling the cold breeze brushing against her face as night approached. "It's certainly been a while since I've seen him."

True to belief, she hadn't seen him since that time she barely caught him during his return from a region called Sinnoh. Even then, he couldn't sit still at the thought of another region holding even more gyms to be conquered. And when he heard about it, he didn't stay that long. As soon as the poor female heard of how he was going to leave soon, that let her heart droop even more. She didn't need to complain, but she did quite a bit to a certain mouse Pokémon during the times when Ash left the two Pika-pals to have a catch-up chat, whatever that meant.

The moon glittered brightly as it came into view, and she shivered again as the sky turned dark.

She guessed he was out there, on his same, ol' journey to become a Pokémon Master. That always brought a little humor to her, because the boy's excitement went to the extent that he'd do everything possible to get the next gym badge, despite how reckless and dangerous the method was. Well, at least, the last time he traveled across Kanto with the girl.

Those times… Misty would never forget. Sometimes, she wished she could take them back, you know, relive them again. Maybe she could use her old bike again… but the chances of a newbie Pokémon trainer called Ash Ketchum coming out of Pallet Town with a newly acquired Pikachu were slim. Not to mention, it'd be bad for her bike.

She pouted, running over the matter in her head. "What does it take for scientists to invent a time machine, anyway? Seriously?"

A search-light shot by her, and she looked to the old lighthouse near the ocean, feeling old memories rushing back to her mind.

The girl turned around, shaking her head as a vein popped. "I've gotta' stop thinking about all of this! I can't stand here and sulk about like a moaning mini. I mean, I'm a gym leader for Pete's sake! Speaking of that…" She rubbed her forehead, feeling a drop of sweat fall down it. "I better get back. It's late as it is."

A plop of water fell from the sky, landing neatly on her nose. It dribbled to the end of it, and Misty watched the droplet fall onto the ground.

Rain.

She looked up, seeing the starless sky and a few, small clouds. She easily guessed it was going to drizzle, nothing major. She could stand that. After all, her specialty was WATER-type Pokémon.

She gave a challenging smirk. "Let's see what you got, Mr. Weatherman!"

Suddenly, as if someone wanted to punish her, more droplets fell, swifter than the first. They landed on the she-male's orange hair, causing it to drip and get wet, likewise for her clothes. Why, oh why, did she have to wear shorts today?

"That's either cocky water Pokémon doing Rain Dance, or the natural weather…" Her eyelids fell half-way, bored, and she gave a mutter, "Why did I even open my big mouth?"

Picking up the pace, Misty shook her head, and hurried down the long path back to Cerulean.

* * *

It was a quite a trek, but the water-type trainer finally made it to the front of the gym, and grabbed the bottom of her tank top, twisted it, and caused most of the water to come out. Most.

Judging by the sky's growing darkness, every little kid in the city was sound asleep.

Misty wringed out her hair, and opened the door, weary from the hectic trip. Her usual walk and spot was starting to take a drag on her career, but, with new trainers coming to challenge her everyday, she needed to keep her stress levels down, since some people weren't very great at battling than herself. And some, well, not to brag, but they sometimes, RARELY, wiped the floor with Misty, and that angered her the most, depending on her day. She tended to be praising on a good day, but on a bad… Oh, you don't wanna' know.

"Where have you been, little sister?" called a familiar voice from down below, across the pool, resonating from a blonde-haired girl with a blue towel draped over her shoulder.

"Out," Misty simply answered, walking down the stand's stairs and along the bottom side-railings towards a door.

"Well, you didn't need to, like, bring the rain inside, but, then, you needed a little shower," the female replied with a little smile. She watched Misty walk through the door and descend down the flight of stairs behind the walls towards her.

"_Right_, Daisy," Misty answered, placing her hands on her hips, her expression annoyed. "I've had _plenty_ of showers, but I didn't need another one… not from a wise-guy who's pretty suspicious for not mentioning a rain forecast for today."

"Mhm…" Daisy trailed, remembering that signal had been lacking with television set and the radio lately.

"I guess I'll have to trust my brilliant instincts on the weather next time!" The orange-haired girl grinned proudly.

"Your instincts?" her sister asked, tilting her head and catching her towel before it slipped off her shoulder. She solved this with ease by wrapping it around her neck.

Misty wrinkled her nose a little. "What? Are you saying I _don't_ have any?"

"Not really," the other shook her head, still presenting that warm smile. "You do have a _few_…"

"Well, a few's better than none, ALRIGHT?" Misty narrowed her eyes.

…

"You were out for a while," Daisy observed, glancing at a nearby clock and noticing the depicted time of 10:30 PM. "So long that Lily ended up scoffing your supper."

"She did **WHAT**?" Misty yelled, clenching her fist and giving a fierce scowl.

"I had more for you…"

"Really?" the younger sister asked, giving her sibling a hopeful glance.

"…but those two, like, ate it all before you came home." She messed with the edge of her swimsuit a little bit, awkward; she felt she could've done something about that.

"Are you KIDDING me?!" The smaller one groaned, slapping her forehead. "Today was soup night!"

"Drink, then… I think," Daisy corrected, not noticing how Misty was talking about it being one of her favorite meals. "Why were you out so late?"

"I've… been busy," Misty trailed, not wanting to speak of a boy topic in front of any of the Sensational Sisters; if word got out, she'd never hear the end of it.

"With what…?" the blonde one inquired, brushing her hair back while lifting an eyebrow. The flower between her many strands of hair throttled a little, but then became still as the girl moved her hand away from styling.

They stood, a fair distance apart, and the hot-tempered one looked to the ground, holding a hesitant motion.

The girl gulped slightly. "Daisy?"

"Yes, Misty?"

"Daisy, do you ever have any trouble with…"

"About time you got back, runt!" called a humorous voice, as the said being glared at the entrance to the make-up studio.

"Quit callin' me a runt, Lily! Or, I swear, I'll grab a flying-type Pokémon and cut your root!"

The other female smirked at her little sister. She was the same height as Daisy, though held several differences. Bright, pink hair adorned her head, and bright blue eyes, unlike her sister, Daisy's mature green eyes.

"I thought you specialized in water-types, Misty. Maybe you're, like, losing it."

"Oh, please give over, Lily, it's late…"

"Not a chance, sis! Runt missed her little teasing session!"

Seeing the story seemed cartoon-y, Misty's head grew large, and she screamed at the top of her lungs, "I'M NOT A RUNT!"

"Sure, runt," Lily replied with a nasty-looking smile, which grew wider every few seconds. "You missed supper, you know. So, I, the fabulous Lily, Sensational Sister, decided to take care of the meal like a good Samaritan…"

"Through your STOMACH!" Misty snapped, interrupting her sister with a dark look of malice.

"Whatever," Lily waved an uncaring hand. "At least I was in time for it. I'm surprised we don't have curfew regulations in here…"

"We don't, like, need them, sister," Daisy jumped in, "Misty can take care of herself."

A smug grin formed on Misty's face, as she nodded with closed eyes… it didn't last long.

"Yeah, please. She's lucky to have been okay with that Ash kid."

"LUCKY?" the gym leader asked, her grudge gaining size by the moment due to what the topic had been brought to: her face was red. "I constantly helped out that little brat! And what does he do? He goes and…"

Daisy gave a hint of sympathy, whilst Lily just shook it off.

"Yeah, yeah. We didn't, like, need your life story about you and your boyfriend."

"For your information, we…!"

Misty couldn't finish that sentence anymore. Something was stopping her from finishing it. Something in her stomach.

Her stomach growled.

Sweat dropped down the side of her forehead.

No, it was something else. Not hunger itself.

She gave an annoyed grunt, and shook her head, steadily walking to their house's entrance. "Never mind."

Once she left, Daisy's worried look intensified slightly. "She's, like, pretty upset…"

"Eh. She'll be fine. Our Misty always is in the end," Lily finally gave a kind-hearted smile to the slammed door.

* * *

The stars twinkled in the sky, their bright lights capturing hearts of all the observers, Misty being one of them.

She wore a orange medium-sized sleeved shirt, and her old shorts, possibly because, in the summer, it was too hot for her. Her hair was down, a little longer than it would be if put up, but less so than her usual ponytail's length.

She sat by her window, knees up, on her bed, a recently bought Pokédoll resembling Pikachu in her hands as she stared a star that outmatched any other.

Somehow, she found a little comfort at night, and she could watch the lustrous lights of Vermillion, which was about a few miles away; their lights were always bright and beautiful, but nothing compared to the stars themselves.

She found some relation in that comparison between her and her sisters.

They would likely be the stars, and Misty would be the lamp light underneath them. She didn't care for looks, but she knew battling was her talent, not grooming and fashion. Her life was much more functional than that of her siblings, who merely liked being stars in their own shows as the Sensational Sisters. She considered herself the last of the group, but Lily had thought otherwise; she was apparently the runt.

She sighed, and then looked down at the doll in her hands, staring into the Pikachu's beady, black eyes, unblinking.

She closed her eyes.

* * *

"_Pika, pi?"_

"_Okay, guys! I'm heading out!"_

"_Already?" a young girl asked, sipping her drink on the couch and tilting her head as a boy with a Pokéball cap stood by the door._

_The small, yellow mouse looked at him, question present in its eyes. "Pika, pi?"_

"_Yeah… Professor Oak's saying he wants to talk to me about something. Didn't say what, though," the young man quirked an eyebrow. "Maybe he's got s'more info on new Pokémon, or something," he exclaimed, brown eyes glinting with a shimmer of determination._

"_Pi-Pikachu!" Pikachu chimed in happily._

"_Well, Ash, knowing you, you're always there first thing, aren't you? Unlike that first start with the pyjamas…"_

_He sweatdropped. "Sometimes, I wonder why I even told ya' about that, Misty."_

"_Old habits die hard, blabbermouth."_

"_Pi, pika, pikachu-pi!"_

_The self-proclaimed future Pokémon Master shook a fist. "Hey! I'm no blabbermouth!"_

"_Whatever you say," the gym leader said with a smile, then folded it a little. "Anyway, I was at Oak's this morning. I _think_ he was talking to his scientist buddies, or something… reading…"_

"_What?" the Pokémon trainer asked, feigning interest for a second._

"…_Poetry."_

_Ash slapped his forehead. "Aw, jeez… Don't tell me he started a worldwide poetry club!"_

"_I don't know about that, but he was reading for quite a while."_

"_Ugh… Arceus, help me if he's planning to read his latest works to me."_

"_You know Professor Oak, Ash," Misty shook her head. "It's probably just a hobby. Or a lifestyle," she slipped out, smirking at the, 'seriously?' reply._

_Ash turned heel, his hand on the door knob as he turned it._

"_Oh, and good luck~," Misty added, before turning to her Pika-pal._

_Ash shut the door behind him, mumbling, "Yeah, good luck, me."_

_Misty sat beside Pikachu on the sofa, who tilted his head with a happy smile. The human did likewise._

"_Pikachu-pi? Pika, pika, pi!"_

_The water-type trainer knew this sentence structure and nodded._

"_I've been good; I bet you and Ash had tons of fun in Sinnoh," Misty said, almost reluctantly, then joked with a grin, "I'm pretty jealous of that, to be honest…"_

"_Pika!" Pikachu raised his arms, certainly peppy about something. "Pi! Pika, pi! Pi, pika-ka pi pi-kachu!"_

_Even she couldn't decipher that sentence, but she pretended to be happy for him._

"_Sounds… nice. So, how've you been, Pikachu?"_

"_Pika."_

"_And Ash? Was he messing up again?"_

_Pikachu waved his fingers, half-wise, to demonstrate a so-so motion._

"_You know, I think he's done a bit of maturing…" Misty trailed, switching her gaze to out of the window to see Ash tripping over a rock, grumbling as he tried to remember where Oak's lab was. "Well, guess not. But then… He's not that bad at it." She chuckled a bit, looking back to Pikachu. "Remember when you two first started?"_

"_Pika!" A grin formed on the mouse's muzzle._

"_Heh, I never thought I'd fish out a little kid… but I did."_

_Pikachu kept up his lively act throughout the conversation._

"_Yeah. Y'know, I DID lose a bike, that day…"_

_He sulked a bit at that, seeming guilty._

_She tapped his nose, and he shut his eyes cheerfully in return as she moved down to stroke underneath his chin. "…But I gained a best buddy, didn't I?"_

"_Pi!"_

"_But then… I got that darn bike back… There went my excuse. I didn't make a buddy with just you, Pikachu. So, I should say buddies," Misty corrected, no longer rubbing under his chin but leaning back on the couch. "But I get the odd feeling that Ash isn't my buddy anymore…"_

_Pikachu perked an ear, silently watching her worried features._

"_Maybe more than that... But he's still that wild, oblivious kid I met a long time ago… I imagine he understands my feelings, though not all of them... but..." She shook her head. "Delia isn't the only one who misses him…"_

"_Pika…"_

* * *

That gaze lingered a few moments, before the girl decided something.

She set the doll aside, knowing it would only make her thoughts worse.

Looking to the window, the girl watched the many stars shot across the sky, and she blinked when the star she saw earlier sparked brightly, and flickered a little.

And, before she knew it, it surged towards the ground, near the edge of Cerulean City, with devastating force. Despite her eagerness to see it, the trove of trees around it were blocking her view.

"Huh?"

Now that she thought about it, the object wasn't white and bright like a star normally was; she assumed it was a meteorite, with the charcoal colour and all, (though, she barely saw its detail at all,) but the figure held more of an animal structure than that.

Misty opened the window, and peeked about the neighborhood, finding it empty before peering at a nearby corner of the city, where smoke swiftly rose into the sky.

Narrowing her eyes, Gym Leader Misty climbed off her bed, tied up her hair, pulled on her jacket, put on her sneaker-like shoes, and stood up, before looking back to the site of the crash.

By the looks of it, nobody had yet noticed the meteorite, otherwise there would be quite a crowd around it.

"Everybody must be asleep…"

Misty took off out HER door, as quietly as she could.

She tripped over her own feet.

"OW!"

* * *

The creature groaned as it weakly lifted its head to look at its surroundings; it couldn't see much, since everything was a blur, but it knew somehow that danger might come close soon. Its eyelids flickered a little, shielding vivid, green eyes, and it heard a noise with pricked ears. Within a blurry eyeshot, the being carefully made out a taller figure in the brambles and groaned lightly to make its presence known.

The other jumped at this, but then watched with curiosity as red and white feet, (or rather, shoes upon feet,) twitched with a sense of unbearable agony.

With an almost dying breath, the creature uttered a name,

"Amy…"

And then, everything went dark…

* * *

**Hai, again, guys~!**

**This IS my first time having a go at presenting stuff in the Anime in a fic, thus, please forgive me if characterizations/personalities are a bit off. I hope I got them right. **** If I didn't… well, I gotta' work 'em all~! I have PLENTY of Anime Eps left to watch! :D**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chappie.**

**Hoping to write another as quick as possible… but motivation is lacking right now; I'd love a review, or two... not to complain. (:**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog, or its characters. All rights go to SEGA. I do not own Pokémon, (Though, I own several video games…). It belongs to GAME FREAK, Nintendo.**


	3. Introductions and Informalities

**Chapter 3 – Introductions and Informalities**

* * *

Daisy stood outside her sister's door, folding her arms as she came to terms with the past event.

"_Never mind."_

She knew the order was to be minded, but she knew something was wrong the moment her poor sister stepped into the gym. Misty had been like this for a while, now, more so than ever since that Ash kid had left. That left Daisy to wonder whether her little sister had boy troubles. Perhaps something had happened?

"Hello, sis," whispered a voice behind her.

Daisy turned around, seeing one of her sisters stood there, questioning her location. "Violet?"

"Mhm," the other answered, nodding her head and allowing her indigo hair to flop about. "Why're you up and about at this time?"

Daisy tilted her head, slightly unnerved as she folded her arms. "Well… I suppose it's because something's wrong with Misty."

"Hm?" Brown eyes blinked at her. "Lily told me about that earlier. Said Misty couldn't take being called a runt so many times."

"…I don't think it was that. To me, it seemed like boy trouble."

Violet gave a light smirk. "Boy trouble, huh? Didn't think she'd get her type, but, obviously, I'm proven wrong… but… honestly… if you're worried, and you want to do something about it, don't stand here; you should, like, go talk to her."

The eldest smiled a bit. "I guess I should. Standing here doesn't make it any better."

Within those silent moments, Daisy reached out her hand, and left it hovering above the door knob. However, when her gaze passed over the edge of the door, she found it already open a crack, and missing from her eyesight, were Misty's usual shoes, (which normally stayed there a daily basis,). She quickly pushed the door open to find a lump under the covers.

Violet gave a peek, furrowed her brow a little, and then blinked at the motionless figure. "Something tells me someone hasn't been putting their clothes where they, like, rightfully belong."

No longer awkward, the blonde-haired girl stepped towards the bed, before lifting the sheets to find a small, yellow doll: a Pikachu doll.

"Well, Pokédolls where they belong. This is certainly a change…"

The shopper narrowed her eyes as she lifted every part of the duvet. "She's not here…"

"Where could she be then, sis?" Violet asked, "It's not like she could drop off the face of fashion's home planet."

Daisy straightened and turned to her sister. "How on Earth should I know? She's normally not out at Route 25 at this time."

"Well, it can't be part of her new routine."

"I know it can't. It's, like, too late for that."

Violet shook her head and sighed, before thinking of turning back to the door. "I think we need to go find her."

"**You were back quick, runt!"**

The two whirled their heads around, remembering Misty's nickname.

* * *

Lily had been pushed as Misty passed, due to her being in the way; anyone could tell that Misty was in a hurry, especially with the quote of, "Outta' the way!"

Lily, though fazed, regained herself and stood up. "You were back quick, runt!"

Behind her sister, was a green, frog-like creature holding a spiral on its tummy. A small, curled bit of hair stood above its head, and padded feet and hands were in place.

Misty stood tall, and pointed towards the Pokémon behind her, who held a battered, yet blue body. "Yeah, well I was busy! Saving an innocent Pokémon from possible death!"

"Hey, don't forget, we refer to dying as fainting around here."

"Are you kidding me, Lily? You can't refer to _this_ as fainting!"

The creature within the water-type's arms was an azure creature, having spiny quills, red and white shoes, and gloves. Clothes had been what had confused Misty the most, though she ignored it. Its fur was cloudy, in a way that it looked to have been covered completely in rubble, possibly from the muck outside, (the rain must have helped it along,). Scuffs and scars littered its body like wildfire.

"Oh…" The teaser held a little sympathy, before shaking it off as she folded her arms. "Uh, huh. Well, like, I don't think it should stay in a younger one's hands…"

Misty popped a vein. "WHAT DOES THAT **MEAN**?!"

"Politoed, politoed!" The Politoed clapped its hands in a peppy manner whilst the two argued, as it struggled to hold the injured animal in its arms, it being heavier than the Pokémon. "Poli…"

Misty looked away, pouting as she folded arms. "Well, at least_ I_ had the decency to go out and help it!"

"I knew I should've, like, gone out there with you, runt, but you took off too early. Not to mention, the mud could've ruined my complexion…"

Misty deadpanned, giving the beady eyes expression, "You could've just worn a raincoat…"

"It's, like, stuck in the washing machine, and wet, mind you."

"But it's a raincoat…" Misty shook it off. "Anyway, I shouldn't be just standing here! So… Bye!"

Within moments, the girl took off from the pool room, and began running to the changing rooms, Politoed in tow with its awkward clapping.

The older sister popped a vein. "Hey! Don't you back away from my teasing conversation, runt!"

"What _is_ going on?"

"About time, sisters."

The blonde-haired girl appeared at their house's entrance, watching the scene with a cloud of doubt, Violet close behind her.

"Hum… Looks like someone was in a hurry," the indigo-haired one commented, barely catching a glimpse of her younger sibling's orange hair as it sifted through a door way.

"Yeah, she, like, found an injured Pokémon, or something…" Lily explained, tapping the rim of her chin with a confused index finger. "Which strikes me as odd, since there's a Pokémon Center around the corner…"

"I guess she supposes it's too late for that…"

"Doesn't the Pokémon Center have curfew regulations?" the flower-bearing one questioned, tilting her head.

"Would, like, explain it…" Violet trailed, and then added, "But why would they close up?"

"Their rules are a spin?" Daisy blinked, before turning her attention to the pink one. "What was it?"

Lily did likewise, before turning to face Daisy. "Eh?"

"The Pokémon?"

"Oh, right… Not sure. I haven't really seen it before… And I at least thought I, like, would've, seeing as we got a ticket to travel the world to be super awesome and famous, an' all."

"Hm… Maybe it came from a region we haven't been to, yet?"

Lily laughed at Violet's remark. "Oh, sis, where's the chance that has happened?"

Violet acknowledged the question with a smile.

"Ah, ha! You're so right," Daisy answered with a smug grin.

Lily pushed out a little more cheer. "We've been, like, everywhere!"

"Super-world-famous!" Violet finished, with pride.

The three laughed for a moment, before becoming silent as they followed on towards the changing rooms.

* * *

The changing rooms were empty… thank goodness. Misty didn't want to intrude on anyone.

But, to be sure, she gave a swift look around the lockers; couldn't be too careful, after all. Wiping her forehead with relief, she ushered to her frog Pokémon to bring the poor, injured one towards a bench: a towel laid atop a cushion made it a simple bed. What happens when you leave stuff lying around… Misty had to wonder why there was a pillow in the changing rooms.

She sighed and shook it off as she watched her Pokémon carefully laid the animal on the bench-bed… and then it began mindlessly clapping again.

"Politoed. Politoed. Politoed…"

The gym leader sighed with a sweat-drop before regaining herself to look to the azure Pokémon on the bench. At least, it looked like one to her…

"Hm… I wonder how it ended up like this…" Misty trailed, frowning with empathy.

As if hearing something, the blue one gave a small groan. A humane groan. A groan that sounded like…

"…Ow?" the girl blinked a moment, before shaking her head with a soft, sympathetic smile.

Maybe this whimper was a mere remnant of the Pokémon's cry? Maybe she was hearing things?

It took her a few moments for her to realize why she brought it in here. With hurried steps, the girl dashed towards a nearby sink, glancing about for an item she required. As she looked, she caught the state of herself in the mirror, and saw quite a bit of mud all over her face. And she hoped to Arceus it _was_ mud.

"Guess being stuck outside makes that happen… I'll wash it off afterwa—**AHHH**!" Her face suddenly drenched with water and cold, Misty glared at Politoed, which had the _decency_ to give her another shower, via its mouth. She growled slightly, though still held her calm tone, "Grr… Politoed…!"

"Politoed! Politoed!" it replied, happily clapping its hands.

Clenching her fist, the trainer gave a quick shake of her head, causing the water to void off in completely different directions.

One of the drops fell upon the injured being's eyelids a few steps away, and one of its eyes quirked half-open slowly. It barely gave a discreet moan, "…Ugh…uh…?"

Unfortunately, the savior was too busy scolding her Pokémon to notice. Yet, that only lasted a few seconds, since she realized how pointless it actually was; Politoed wasn't giving any signs of stopping, nothing but absent-minded clapping. It might've been trying to show Misty the bright side, but all Misty could ever have for this moment was tad of blind rage. To think, this used to be her cute, little Poliwag…

"O-o-o-oh! Never mind that!" Misty shook her head slightly, "I've got to help this poor thing."

Setting aside the matter of yelling at Politoed, the female grabbed a nearby towel, and wet it under the tap, trying to keep herself a great distance from her sudden impatience. With it damp, slightly cold but hot, likewise, the girl walked towards the motionless figure, planning to wash off the muck and grime covering its body.

The moment she neared it, that pity rose even more.

There were multiple scars. Horrible ones. Misty could easily tell the poor guy had been in a fight. Nevertheless, she urged on, despite her initial disgust of the wounds.

She pushed the towel closer, until it gently wept on one of the marks, allowing the material to lightly wash off the marks. As she moved along the many bruises, she came across even more scars, each bloodier than the first. She thanked the heavens she had a first aid kit upstairs, otherwise, the matter wouldn't have been nice to deal with when the Pokémon woke up. She expected that would've been quite hectic.

Though, not as hectic as she was about to find out.

That precise, slow second she began to wash off the muck covering its face, the animal cracked open both eyes wide. It eyed the unknowing human for a moment, and saw the towel drenched with water; then heard a tap on nearby. It only took an instant for Politoed to join in, by giving the animal a much-needed wake-up-shower.

It screamed, and jumped up to grab, all-arms/legs-wise, the pole holding the benches' hangers.

Misty looked to her Pokémon, scowling, "**POLITOED**!"

"Poli…?" The frog Pokémon merely slunk back a moment, before idly clapping its hands, hoping to fix its mistake.

The female watched her friend for a moment, and shook her head, dismissing the mistake. She then heard several whimpers, and stood up to meet the blue one's gaze, who, surprisingly, was still stuck tight to the hangers' pole.

"Hi there, little guy," Misty spoke with a soothing tone, though she wondered whether she should be calling it little; it was a little taller than Politoed. "I'm sorry about Politoed; he's kind of like that… He was only trying to help you, of course, but then… well, he must've got _too_ out of hand." She glared at the green one for a split-second.

The hedgehog blinked at Misty, and then turned its gaze to the Pokémon who had sprayed it with water moments ago. 'What the…?'

The trainer noticed the perplexed expression, and talked again, "Are you okay?"

The other turned to face the human, and watched her with a raised eye ridge, green eyes taking notice of her unfamiliar features. 'Hmm… Normally, I'd have a crowd of crazy fan-girls after me now…' It frantically glanced about, fearing it was alone and helpless with the girl armed with water. 'Alright, then… Where **are** they?!'

"Are you looking for someone?" the she-male asked, tilting her head, thoughtful. "Have you lost your trainer?"

'Uh… what?' The blue blur looked to her, and then gave a blank face, misunderstanding.

"You know, your owner?"

The azure being broke the fourth wall by giving a deadpanned look to the readers. 'Owner? …You have _got_ to be kidding me.'

"At LEAST tell me by nodding or something!" Misty popped a vein, knowing that look anywhere. "I did save your Poké-tail after all!"

Mr. Needle-mouse gave another confused look. 'Poké… tail? What the heck?'

"Oh, never mind!" Misty folded her arms, pouting with a benevolent yet irritated expression. "Look here, mister, just say something if you're okay!"

Understanding that sentence clearly, the organism aimed to nod, but once it noticed the amount of scars across its body, it thought otherwise. Despite the shape it was in, it ignored it. **"Yeah, lady, I'm just fine."**

Those words shocked Misty to the point she almost had a heart-attack. "Did you just…?"

"What?"

"…Talk?"

"'Course I did! Not a mute, am I?" the hedgehog gave a small grin, and the let go of the pole, dropping onto the bench's seat, but keeping his distance from the frog Pokémon who had attacked him earlier. He tilted his head, and, cartoony-like, smacked his ear, causing the water to gush out from the other side. "Darn water…"

Regaining herself, Misty nodded to herself. She wasn't exactly surprised when she thought about it; this wasn't the first time she'd found a talking Pokémon.

"So… what exactly are you, huh?" she asked, giving another attentive stare.

"What? Hah, lady, I think you mean, '_who_,' because, since I've noticed, there's only one of me around!" He silently added, "Well, if you kinda discount that Faker, and Metal Faker… Heh." He leaned back on the beam behind him, putting hands behind his neck, his feet up and closing one eye. "If you don't know who I am, then you really need to visit a doctor. Little hint, though: don't visit ol' 'Buttnik."

'What are you talking about?' the gym leader asked him mentally, before frowning with irritation. "Okay, then. I need to visit a doctor," she quipped sarcastically, sporting an angry vein. "Just _who_ are you, anyway?"

Faster than a Speed-forme Deoxys, the blue blur was stood again, gesturing to himself with a snarky smile. "Who, me?" he paused for dramatic effect, "I'm Sonic… Sonic the Hedgehog."

"You're…" Misty paused a moment, remembering an earlier sentence, but trying to put an irritation into his atmosphere, "…a Sonic?"

"Not _**a**_ Sonic. _THE_ Sonic," the fastest thing alive corrected, before scratching his ear. "I think you need to get out more, kid."

"Are you saying I _**don't**_ get out?!"

"'Am assuming. Because, if you don't know me, you obviously don't get out much."

"Excuse me, Mr. Important-Pokémon-Sonic-the-Hedgehog!"

"Please. Just call me Sonic."

"Arrggghhh! Whatever!" Misty cried, raising her arms out of exasperation. "Just because you think you're _so_ important, _doesn't_ mean people have to know you! That _doesn't_ mean I don't get out much!"

"Jeez, you scream a lot for a girl who doesn't get out much."

"Yeah? Well… you… you… You're pretty obnoxious for a Pokémon that was half-dead a minute ago!"

"Why do you keep calling me that?" Sonic folded his arms, giving a serious frown.

Flailing her fists, Misty gave another frustrated yell, "I don't know… maybe, because, YOU ARE ONE!"

"Lady, you remind me of Knucklehead," the hedgehog retorted, smiling. "Try losin' your temper!"

"I DON'T HAVE A TEMPER!"

"Yep. You do. Just like him."

Misty twitched a smile. "Politoed?"

As soon as that deathly clapping reached Sonic's ears, he eyed the frog with fear, turned heel, and…

"Aw, come on! You couldn't possibly run…"

"SEE YA'!"

All Misty saw, was a blazing trail across the changing room's floor, before her gawp fell to it. In an instant, she snapped herself out of it, and took off after the hedgehog, waving her fist as she screamed, "HEY! GET BACK HERE!"

* * *

Sonic sped through the building as fast as he could, whizzing past three, screaming girls as he did so.

He turned his head, seeing the orange-haired female emerging from the changing rooms, following him. "Heck, I gotta' get out of here! That girl's as crazy as Amy!" The hammer came to mind, "…Well, maybe not… But I still gotta' get outta' here!"

When he moved his gaze to his path, his green eyes widened in pure shock.

"Oh… No, no, no, no, no… NO, NO, **NO,** **NO, **_**NO**_!"

Before him, laid a massive swimming pool.

And, just when he thought he was going to crash head-first into it, his feet skidded to a stop just at the edge of it. Sweat dripped down his face, out of relief. "Thank Chaos… For a second there, I thought I was gonna'—"

Clapping sounded behind him, and then a voice, **"Politoed, politoed!"**

"**WAHHHH!"**

Without thinking, the blue blur rushed forward, before realizing he had the pool in front of him. By then, it was too late to build up momentum to run on water.

He gulped. "Uh, oh."

**SPLASH!**

* * *

It was another quiet day in Pewter City, and all courses at the usual museum had ended. Everyone was returning home, weary from their hectic classes. Had it been busy, people would've been getting pushed all over the place. The post man, the teachers, the archeologists, the teachers, everybody!

Ahem. Onto the right topic…

At the doorway, stood a fifteen-year-old boy.

He had chocolate-coloured, spiky hair and naturally closed eyes. With a dark skin tone, he had a green t-shirt, overlapped by a brown and orange jacket. He wore grey pants, with blue sneakers. In his back-pack, I could bet anything he carried the kitchen sink.

Beside him, stood a Pokémon with blue skin, and orange, bubble-like sacks, which were blown up and then deflated every second or so.

The pair walked down the stairs, the human looking around as he left the area.

"See ya', Brock!" called a random student, who was taking off in the opposite direction.

"Yeah; see you!" the Pokémon Doctor in-training called back, smiling as he gave a wave.

The random kid smiled back, ran forward, and, unwittingly to his friend, crashed into a lamp post.

As soon as that happened, all the classmates were saying bye to each other, never taking the time to actually shut up and go home.

Brock, however, was used to this. He attended classes on a weekly basis, and it was a daily habit for many of the pupils to start screaming their heads off at home time, just to say goodbye.

"Just another day, eh, Croagunk?" he asked with a grin, holding back a chuckle as the students were still shouting from the top of their lungs.

Croagunk merely deflated his cheeks again, before replying with, "Croa."

The trainer and the Pokémon carried on along the street, walking slowly towards their home, which was only a few more blocks away.

_**Whoosh…**_

Movement in a building's shade caught Brock's eye, and, of course, he stopped to see if such an action would occur again.

Nothing.

He listened.

Silence.

"Hmmm…"

The former gym leader shrugged before carrying on down the road, but even then, he knew his suspicions weren't to be ignored.

Still, with him, silence.

He stopped, noticing his companion wasn't beside him, absentmindedly croaking away.

"Croagunk?" he called, before turning around to see his Pokémon stood where he had previously.

Of course, it was expected of the creature, since Croagunk held exceptional hearing and senses; most likely, he heard, or possibly sensed, something Brock didn't.

Knowing something trivial was up, Brock stepped back, before turning around and heading towards his partner with low eyebrows.

"You found something, Croagunk?"

When he got there, the mammal merely lifted its arm, (to which, Brock, acting on instinct, flinched, because this action sometimes occurred during his issues with girls, which were normally followed by a horrible Poison Jab,) and pointed to a narrow side-street, which was complete with shadows and bending trees.

Brock raised his brow a little, "Huh. I don't remember this short-cut being like this."

Cutting in front of Croagunk, Brock stepped forward, wary as his Pokémon followed.

_**Whoosh…**_

That savage, violent-like movement shifted again, causing the Pokémon Breeder to feel unease… though, Croagunk was less so, yet still held a Poison Jab in case.

Three more steps…

Two steps…

One step…

He looked around; he listened.

Nothing... again.

Silence… again.

Brock sighed and turned around, ushering for Croagunk to do the same. Yet, since his partner didn't turn to follow, the boy found it in himself not to leave.

Somewhere in the darkness, a pale muzzle creased a smile. "Curious, human?"

"Hey…" The male jumped back slightly, not expecting the voice, (even though he had suspected something,). "Who's there?"

"'Who's there'?" the voice echoed with a slight tone of mockery. "Why, count yourself lucky, you have to be the first human that's ever asked me that… Hm, hm, hm…"

That dark chuckle bounced off the walls, pushing both Brock and Croagunk onto the edge of discomfort.

Croagunk slowly wielded a Poison Jab.

"Sadly, keeping in mind my discreetness…" sadistic humor slid into the voice, "…you'll have to be the last."

Almost immediately, a dark liquid slashed from the shade into the lighter area, aiming to strike the speechless trainer before he could move.

He shielded his eyes with an arm, dreading the moment when the knife-like vines would slit his skin, or grab him…

A few moments passed, and the pro-longed never happened.

"Well, this is certainly a fruitful surprise…"

Hesitantly, the boy moved his arm, gaze moving upwards as he witnessed a form strung up in mid-air, a light jab still in place.

Shock overtook his features. **"Croagunk!"**

"Croa, croa!" Croagunk's cheeks blew up and deflated frantically, as his hands relit with a purple hue.

"How brave to take someone else's fate… Yet, how so very foolish…"

It was clear to the former gym leader now: Croagunk had taken the hit.

The Pokémon screamed battle cries, launching random attacks at the liquid which was holding him, but the enemy slid to the side, every single time.

There was a sound of maniacal laughter, of enjoyment, of pleasure, of sadistic delight.

"Oh, look at your little friend fight… My, it has such energy… Would be a shame if someone took it away…"

Brock growled, "Let him go."

A silence passed, and another round of quiet laughing took place, as the liquid flew further back into the darkness, retreating.

Brock furrowed his brow and took off, clenching his fists as he ran deeper into the side-path. "H-HEY!"

Physical abuse struck from behind, and the teenager tripped, fell, and then skidded painfully across the cobblestone floor, feeling grazes cover every inch of his visible skin. He was now, literally, on his knees as he tried to stand, and the moment he lifted his head, his gaze met with a purple and white crystals.

They multiplied around him, circle-wise, and Brock stood, limping as he made out every single one of them… holding Croagunk.

Whoever this was, they knew how to pull a mean Double Team…

The male straightened, taking in the figure's new features with terrified awe.

In front of him, stood a crystallized creature, which held violet-tipped white crystals. The claw-like fingers which were gripped around Croagunk's neck showed no mercy, and every moment that passed, they tightened severely.

Green, reptilian eyes regarded Brock with a hint of mocking sympathy, but then, they glittered in an evil way; a way that made one want to turn back and wretch before they could witness it themselves. However, the human couldn't even do that.

Croagunk weakly tried to strike at his captor, but found he couldn't reach close enough for his jab to hit; the stranger had him put out, and all energy to strike upwards at the arm was gone.

Tilting his head as he creased a smile, the abomination asked, "How about a little game, human?"

Brock's expression held that of horror. "W-what…?"

He'd just attacked him, out of the blue, and now he wanted to play a game?

"You decide whose hands your precious, little pet is in, and if you're right…" The demonic mammal gave a dramatic pause, chuckling, "…I _might _allow mercy… or, kill you both. Depends on how I'm feeling… Ah, curiosity killed the cat, or... human, in this case."

The breeder gritted his teeth, and noticed how this went past even Mewtwo's basic morals.

"Choose wrongly, however…" the atrocity's eyes gleamed within his red sclera, "…Then I'll have no choice but to watch you suffer, along with your friend. Sadly, I predict you won't last long before mercy…" There was a sigh of disappointment.

Inching a hand towards a Pokéball under his jacket, Brock silently hoped Marshtomp was ready for this.

The creature raised an eye ridge, amused. "Hm, hm, hm… Oh? And, draw a weapon, human, and you'll regret ever trying to challenge me."

Withdrawing his action, the Pokémon trainer withdrew his hands, and thought for a moment, yet there seemed to be no easy way out of this…

Whoever this person, or thing, was, it wanted him to give in and play the game, because he only had a one-out-of-eight chance of getting this right. It was a game to it…

So… this was meant to be a sick joke. A sick, horrible joke.

But then… how could one cheat in this game?

Brock didn't know. And he didn't want to find out the consequences, but then… were they worse than the ones to have at the start?

Unable to find anything, the boy shook his head slightly, before looking back up to the numerous copies of his Pokémon and the thing that stood before him.

"Who… _are_ you?"

The copies all stepped in at once, their mouth-less muzzles all speaking at the same time, "Who am I?"

The snide smirk broadened as the taller being backed up.

"I… am Mephiles. Mephiles the Dark… And you, my dear human, are going to provide me with some… entertainment!"

* * *

**Phew… Got it done! Take that, writer's block! Boo-yah! *Fistpump!* Writer's block, less writing mojo, ignorance to story = totally not my fault… ¬.¬ Well, at least it's longer than last chapter! ^^**

**Geez, I am such a jerk to Brock… And I can't believe 'am doing this to one of my favorite Anime characters! D''X I so mean! …Dang, I hope I got his characterization right…**

**But I hope you enjoyed Sonic's little moment of Hell. XD Don't worry; he's not gonna' drown; otherwise this story would be finished, quick… . I won't pull that card, don't worry!**

**Anyways, I'd like to thank Light in the Dark Space, and Anonymous, because I don't feel that awkward **_**forever alone**_**, anymore. X) You guys rock for reviewing!**

**See y'all next chappie!**

**Disclaimer Time!**

**I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog; all rights and characters go to SEGA. I do not own Pokémon; all related characters and rights go to GAME FREAK and Nintendo.**


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